Benefits explained

Attendance Allowance is a payment made to you if you're over 65 to help with your personal care if you've suffered an injury leading to disability.

Your disability could be a physical or mental, a lifetime condition or one that has been caused by a life-changing accident.

Attendance Allowance payment is paid at two rates, depending on how serious your disability is.

Read more about attendance allowance.

Carer's Allowance is a benefit paid to anybody caring for somebody for a minimum of 35 hours per week. This means you don't have to be related to or live with that person to receive Carer's Allowance.

Carer's Allowance cannot be doubled if you're caring for more than one person, and it's a payment made to you on a weekly basis.

Disability Living Allowance was a tax-free benefit paid to those with disabilities that needed help with care, travel and support.

DLA is gradually being replaced by Personal Independence Payment (PIP). You can read more about PIP below.

But if you were aged 65 or over on 8^th April 2013, you'll continue to receive DLA and will not need to worry about transferring and applying for PIP.

PIP is a newer benefit that is replacing Disability Living Allowance, for anybody under 65.

PIP is designed to help with the costs of a disability or long-term health condition that may cause you to earn less or leave you unable to work.

To get PIP you must go through an assessment as it's awarded weekly and based on how your condition affects you. So, as an example, if you have arthritis that severely affects your mobility, you may receive a bigger Personal Independence Payment than somebody who has minor symptoms.

Employment and Support Allowance is a benefit payment designed to help you if you're unable to work or may be able to work in some capacity but need financial support to be able to do so.

ESA payments can be made to those who are suffering illness or to those with a disability and is paid at two different levels, depending on whether you are unable to work, or need financial support to work.

If you're applying for ESA you'll be asked to attend a Work Capability Assessment . And if you've previously received income support or incapacity benefit, you may be entitled to ESA or be ask to apply for ESA instead.

Read more about ESA here. 

Guardian's allowance can be awarded to somebody caring for a child whose parents have passed away. Typically, it's awarded on a weekly basis and is in addition to child benefit.

It's possible to claim Guardian's Allowance if one parent has passed away also.

Read about a dependent's claim.

Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefits is awarded to people who have developed an illness or become disabled because of an accident at work.

This includes any diseases contracted while at work or on a training scheme.

If you think you might be entitled to IIDB, then you may also be entitled to compensation to cover the impact of your illness or disability. Read more about our work with industrial illnesses.

Statutory Sick Pay is a payment made to you from your employer if you're too ill to work.

You can get SSP for up to 28 weeks, but you must be off work for more than 4 days before you qualify for it.

Read more about Statutory Sick Pay.